Syria: Bashar al-Assad not 'indispensable', says Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has warned President Assad that he
was “not indispensable”.

Mrs Clinton condemned Syrian attacks on the US and French embassies and said Washington did not believe the long-time Syrian ruler would follow through on his promises to reform in the face of escalating protests against his rule.

“President Assad is not indispensible and we have absolutely nothing invested in him... remaining in power,” she said.

“From our perspective, he has lost (his) legitimacy. Our goal is to see that the will of the Syrian people for a democratic transformation occurs.”

The United States and France turned on Syria after mobs supporting President Bashar al-Assad stormed their embassies in Damascus, injuring staff and breaking windows.

The “demonstrators”, who arrived by bus, according to US witnesses were protesting the decision by the countries’ ambassadors, Robert Ford of the United States and Eric Chevallier of France, to visit the scene of mass anti-regime protests in Hama last week.

A French spokesman said that Syria had “blatantly violated” international laws.

Guards at the French embassy were forced to fire three warning shots as protesters stormed into the compound using a battering ram, according to officials. Three members of the embassy staff, believed to be local employees, were injured.

Embassy windows were broken and the ambassador’s car damaged, while protesters hurled eggs and tomatoes at the walls.

An American spokesman said there were no injuries at the US embassy, but claimed that the Syrian authorities were “slow to respond”.

As the army tried to reassert control in Hama in previous days, it had killed 23 people, and Mr Ford and Mr Chevallier’s decision to visit was seen by some as an attempt to stand in solidarity and to prevent further bloodshed.

The regime reacted furiously, saying it was “proof” that America was instigating the uprising against Assad rule.

Mr Ford himself posted an angry message on Facebook at the weekend in response to a protest at the embassy on Saturday. “A group threw rocks at our embassy, causing some damage. They resorted to violence, unlike the people in Hama, who have stayed peaceful,” he wrote. “If they cared about their fellow Syrians the protesters would stop throwing this food at us and donate it to those Syrians who don’t have enough to eat.

The American position remains that it is not too late for President Assad to oversee reforms.